Gender Inequalitiesin the 21st Century

Within Household Inequalities:

Couple Finances

26-27 March 2009

Togetherness and Autonomy in

Low/Moderate Income Couples

Fran Bennett (University of Oxford)

and Sirin Sung (Queens University Belfast)

Introduction

• GeNet project 5: www.genet.ac.uk

• “Within Household Inequalities

and Public Policy”

• Not mixed methods project, but multi-method, with joint working throughout

• Presentations draw on all elements: analysis of qualitative and quantitative data and policy simulation

The family is a key site of distribution (of resources, time and labour), but is often a ‘black box’ which is not investigated and within which equality is assumed

Aims of project: • To explore alternative approaches to understanding the

behavioural and distributional impact of policy change which take account of gender inequalities in power and influence within the household

• To use such approaches to analyse the effects of actual and potential changes in fiscal, social security and associated labour market policies

Outline of workshop

• ‘Gendering’ togetherness and financial autonomy in low/moderate income couples

• The pursuit of ‘collective’ household interests may differentially limit individuals’ current and/or future autonomy

• Factors influencing entitlements to household resources can result in unequal financial autonomy for men and women

• Influence of tax/benefits system on these inequalities

Outline of this presentation

• Qualitative research: method and sample

• Understanding of (financial) autonomy: economic independence and agency

• Challenges to emphasis on autonomy

• Drivers to togetherness in these couples

• Exploration of aspects of financial autonomy from gendered perspective

• Reflections, issues and future plans

Method and sample

• Semi-structured, separate interviews with members of 30 couples (almost all married)

• Time-limited sample from BHPS/ECHP (booster), interviewed in 2006

• Male/female couples, mostly both members of working age, have had child/ren at some time

• In England, Wales, Scotland (not N Ireland) • Low/moderate income – largely on means-tested

benefits/tax credits now and/or in past

Financial autonomy

• Autonomy: ability to determine life

• Financial autonomy defined as economic independence and/or agency with money:

- lack of dependence on/control by partner

- agency: decisions/actions related to household income + personal projects

• Data based on what interviewees said

• Focus on gender perspective

Togetherness

• Challenges to emphasis on autonomy

• Strong loyalty to mutuality/family unit

• Drivers to togetherness are strong:- low/moderate income (make £ stretch)- children as joint project- couples have stayed together

• ‘All in one pot’, ‘no yours and mine’, ‘team’

• (Sonnenberg: ‘all in one pot’ figurative?)

Economic independence

• Making a contribution: link with family survival more likely for men, self-esteem more likely for women:‘Money wise my wages is very important to me, I need to be bringing in something to contribute. It’s not necessary, we could live on his wage if we wanted to, but I need to work to contribute to bring in a little bit in doing something. It is emotionally very important to me.’

(case 11, female)

• Money in your own right: likely to be less imp-ortant for men, or seen as antithetical to sharing / an issue for women (more aware of tensions)

• Men/women: view of independence differs‘You can spend on what you like, if you need something you can buy what you like.’ (case 22, male)

‘To me it’s quite important, yes, I think you need to be ... have a little bit of independence in whatever you do.’ (case 27, female)

• Privacy: more women had individual accounts; but some men saw this choice as selfishness if applied to themselves

Agency: access to household income

• Women’s management of joint pool of household income as compensation?

• Agency in relation to household money management: women may take/hand over

• Joint account access may be problematic

• (Degree of) autonomy in gendered spending areas: ‘I’m bills, she’s food’

• ‘Not having to ask’ important for women

Agency: income for personal projects

• On low incomes, little to spare anyway• Most did not have to justify personal

spending• Women’s spending on family as personal? • Concern for others/connectedness as

expression of autonomy/agency• More women only spend own incomes • For some women, maintenance of

autonomy at price of living standard

Reflections

• Togetherness subscribed to by most

• But more unitary than gender equal?

• Men more likely to see little to disturb togetherness and/or autonomy as threat

• Women managed togetherness? but often also had aspirations for autonomy/agency

• But more difficult in low income families (joint assessment and private childrearing)

Issues and future plans

• Focus so far on ‘gendering’ togetherness and (financial) autonomy – men/women

• One partner’s autonomy limiting other’s? - link to inequality (including some women giving men pocket money, keeping their debit cards, buying their clothes etc.)

• Link perceptions with demographic info

• Togetherness/autonomy couple typology?